This blog will follow my trials and tribulations playing live mid stakes Texas Hold'Em throughout California.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

But He Knows That I Know

I played a monstrous pot recently that I felt presented several interesting decisions. A few players limped in and the HJ raised. I think the button called, the uber nit post flop SB called and I took a flyer on pocket 3s from the big blind. We saw the flop 6 ways, and the preflop raiser had only blue ($1) chips remaining. These chips only play in $5 clumps, and it appeared that he had $10 worth. This is important because of my ignorance; I'm only 80% sure I can check/raise a 2 chip bet. The rule is typically "half a bet" can be raised, but sometimes it's "more than half a bet", and I simply don't know which is in play here. So I quickly decide that 6 ways I'm going to donk if I flop the stealth bomb set. Completely exploitable, but probably the way to go here.

832hh

Bink. SB checks, I donk, one of the limpers raises, the PFR shrug-calls for 2 chips, another limper calls somewhere, the SB insta-calls (which means he's probably not drawing dead), I 3 bet, the raiser calls, other caller now kamikaze caps all in, and the SB eats two more and we start work on the second side pot 3 ways.

832hh-6r

SB checks, I bet, flop raiser calls, the all in players hope, and the uber nit SB....raises. This is 54s like every single time, except when he has 88 and decided to make expert slowplay which I guess is actually pretty often. I can also justify 86s, and call the bet, unsure if I want the board to pair as it might just cost me 2 more bets.

832hh-6r-8r

SB....checks! Victory is mine! I bet and the third player....raises! The SB tanks for what feels like 2 full minutes and I can see the thought balloons popping over his head.

"I have a straight"

"Surely he knows that"

"But he didn't raise the turn. He cannot possible beat a straight"

Etc, etc. Eventually he talks himself into a call and I make my most bone-headed play of the day and just call. This is idiotic; unless the player really figured out that my donk/3 is a set every single time AND managed to trust his gut when he turned top two. Anyway....I just call and get shown A8 (lol....wow. You are just so terrible) and of course 54hh. I drag the monster and immediately start torturing myself for missing the river 3 bet.